The Bite Magazine - Spring/Summer 2020 - Issue 27

bite book One of the influential people that helped Yves step into fashion was Michel de Brunhoff, former editor-in-chief at Vogue , who advised him to retake his baccalauréat (academ- ic) exam and then introduced him to Christian Dior who took him on as an apprentice. Also winning first and sec- ond prize in the dress category of the international wool in- dustry competition where a young Karl Lagerfeld won first prize in the coat category, gave him a boost. We marvel in the triumph of Yves’ first collection at the age of 21 after the death of Christian Dior, his relationship with the staff at Dior, who loved him and his desire to go in a slightly different direction that didn’t fare very well with the French and the press, and the effects his enlistment into the army to fight the war in Algeria had on him. It is thanks to Pierre Bergé, his longtime business partner and former lov- er, who co-founded the Yves Saint Laurent fashion house, that he survived some of the turmoil in his life. As you read the pages, you discover a sense of family and devotion at the Dior and Yves Saint Laurence fashion hous- es. One of Yves’ friends at Dior was Yvonne de Peyerimhoff, a head saleswoman who said, “When you work with Yves, you can only love him. He was an extraordinary boss. He always had a nice word; even deep down he was quite blunt. If something wasn’t the way he wanted it, he had a gentle manner of making you understand…” The atmosphere of the fashion shows described by the au- thor is magical. “The décor of the show was carefully put together in order not to overshadow the dresses. Curtains of the ecru canvas, white walls, a Havana brown rug, a chande- lier by César, Swedish chairs covered in black leatherette…’ Of the model he wrote, “With her bedroom eyes and milky complexion, her dark hair hidden under a huge musketeer hat, Victoire opened the show in a suit with large green and pink checks. No tassels, no frills…” The winter haute couture in July 2001 saw 77 designs shown “in an ode to colour, with princely faille dresses, the bril- liance of cherry red and glacier blue satin, and emerald vel- vet, all inspired by the painters of the Italian Renaissance. To strains of Verdi, from Il Trovatore to Rigoletto , he celebrated rich velvet, shot silk, and Barguzin sable in a combination of splendour and severity. It was a moonlit invitation to [the] last ball where the divine women had their faces veiled with black tulle or rhinestone netting.” Several characters that impacted Saint Laurent’s life and work are mentioned in the book. His mother, Lucienne whom he looked up to and admired as a young boy but did not see much of when he was older; Karl Lagerfeld, Jean- François Dagre, and Fernando Sanchez, his fellow workers who dragged him off to dinner after he first arrived at Dior and introduced him to the Paris’ nightlife as well as other high society people, some of whom he would associate with. Victoire, a French model who was a muse at Dior and later at Yves Saint Laurent; Roger Vivier, whom he worked well with and respected each other; Catherine Deneuve, a suc- cessful French actress who was rated for her beauty; Betty Catroux, who he met in 1967 and became one of his closest friends; Tabitha Getty, the wife of Paul Getty, whose beauty and free-spirit he deeply admired; and LouLou de la Falaise, another free-spirit who became Yves’ muse in 1972, and walked in his androgynous collection. Finally, there was Pierre Bergé, an industrialist and patron, and his partner for many years. The opposite of Yves, he was the powerhouse in the business and was known for his generosity and exploding temper in equal measures. The pair was always seen together, but there was a time Pierre stepped back when Yves’ heavy drinking and drug-taking got too much. Yet, in the end, he stood by him, even when the buy-out of Yves Saint Laurent was on the cards; Pierre ensured that they got a good deal. The story of a man who was both praised and criticised by the press, had some of his design ideas scrutinised, went through bouts of depression and absences, and always searched for happiness that seemed too hard to find. Like a child king who suddenly had the responsibilities of the kingdom on his shoulders, Yves didn’t seem to be able to fully enjoy his life as he was constantly working, needed to prove himself, or was afraid that his couture world would collapse. There is so much to learn about the ‘young king’ at Dior and the man he became in the subsequent years that would be too numerous to mention here. With over 500 pages, the Yves Saint Laurent biography is a long and detailed read but it is beautifully written and worth getting to know the de- signer in detail, leaving no stones unturned. You get all of his emotions: joy, anger, disappointments, triumphs, fears, and accomplishments, and moments where he just wishes to escape from reality. Yves Saint Laurent by Laurence Benaïm is published by Riz- zoli Ex Libris and available on Rizzoli New York’s website. www.rizzoliusa.com “My weapon is the way I see my era” - Yves Saint Laurent